Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-06-23

ing toward them was q white man mounted
on horse considerably jaded. The horse
man saw them and motioning his hand for
them to halt, they drew rein, ana he
galloped mp 10 them.
1T is Tom Long, one OF the teamsters'
said Charley.
So il proved.
"Wall, Tom, what yer wantP" asked
Cylone.
"The Apaches are down the valley"
"Thunderation-we know that. Whars
the train?"
That's jist what come to tell ye about"
"Wall, go ahead an tell 1t.
"Yes, yes." put in Charley Myrtle, his
face growing still paler as his anxiety IN
creased. "Where Is the wagon train1 Has
1t crossed the river2"
"Yes, an' is on the way across the mount
ing range above here"
"Great Scottl" gasped Old Cyclone, the
pesky varmints II overhaul 'em sure afore
they kin git across"
"The Captain said they would, and sent
me on to tell ye to hold Limestone Gap
agin 'em fur three hours.
"Three hoursi why well hev hundred
dCan't help it." said the teamster, "its
got to be done."
For moment the veteran frontiersman,
the hero of hundred battles. sat on his
pony voraciously chewing the huge guild OF
tobacco in his mouth. At last he said:
"Wall, boys, of it's got ter be done thar
amt no use O whinin'; now all I've got ter
say is eff the thing kin be did, We kin do 1t.
But, say, Tenderfoot, ye'd better jist keep
right on ter the train.
"WhyP"
"Thar's goin to be a scrimmage."
"Well, wbat il there is?" said Charley,
bravely. MY parents arc with that train,
and I'm going to help defend en-"
PLUCK, boys, by jemany," growled Old
Cyclone.
'"Isn't there some way that the Apaches
could 60 around this pass, flank us, and
get TO the train?"
"No, not if they're across the river.
They We got to git through Limestun Gap,
or they can't tack the train"
"Some one must go back to the train, I"
said Tom Long. "They want word sent en-"
"Ye'd better go, Tenderfoot," said Cy-
clone.
train, and 1 shall stay here to defend
them" said Charley, proudly and bravely:
wall, youngster, 1 admire ye, said Ola
Cyclone, "but We don't know what's COM
in! There's goin' ter be blood shed. Ye've
never smelt powder an heerd bullets
screech; yer don't know what il is. The
men who stay here three hours hev jist
about got free pass inter etarnity."
II will lose my life, if necessary, de-
Tending my parents, brothers, and sisters, "
said the brave boy.
"Thcn, Tom, ye'd better 90 back yer
SELF" said the old scout.
Tom was rather inclined to stay at the
Gap, but as Old Cyclone had some in
formation to send to the captain of the
| i. 20 kha Nhar Of
Apaches, and the place where they would
be safe from them, he had TO go.
"Hev We plenty O. cartridges?" asked Tom
Il dun know. Leave yer gun an all vel
got. said Cyclone. We'll want 'em afore
we're through wi this.
Tom did SO, and galloped away toward
the train.
The four horsemen rode back 10 the pass
not over a hundred yards away, and Ole
Cyclone examined it and the surrounding
hills with an experienced eye. He saw a
a glance the strong and weak points in the
defense of the gap. The narrow pass lay
between two tall bluffs, one of which wal
twenty feet higher than the other.
A short distance back these heights coulC
=, be reached, as the ground was slopint
enough to ride the horses up to them. OlC
Cyclone then wheeled about again, with hi
> followers at his heels, and galloped to thes'
, points, and Old Zach and Charley went ul
one side, while he and Bill Murphy as
cended TO the other.
These elevations were so near that tn
scouts could converse with each othe
3 without speaking much above converse
l tional tone. In addition to his own Win
B chester, Old Cyclone had the gun of Tor
Long.
n "Dismount, boys, an lay down on tn
edge O. the cliff" snid Old Cyclone, "the
ye kin pick em off without bein' seen."
n They sprang from their horses, and
d leaving them q little way back, SO as M
4 TO be in the range of bullets from below
1t crept to the edge of the bluffs which over
s looked the pass.
AT Old cyclones direction each ma
@ placed largo number of heavy stones o
the edge of the bluff, which might b
,, available TO hurl down upon the heads {
d the enemy.
Remember if they get through the pass
II continued Old Cyclone, "it amt fur they
9 hev ter go Till they kin git up here on Ii
p bluff an lift our ha'r."
IT Every one understood the importance {
allowing no one TO go through the pass.
a "Lay low, they Amt far away" said Oh
"a Cyclone.
rs edge of the bluff where he could sweep Il
9; pass and expose but very little of his pei
son.
~ The others had secured favorable pos
49, tions.
o Only few moments elapsed, wht
- Charley saw dark form fitting up towal
the pass not more than four or five hundrt
=. Yards away. Another, another, and al
~ other came around the bend until ful
- - fifty were in sight, aud then in sol
"a u mass, silently but swiftly they advance
~ ~ toward the pass.
10 Old Cyclone leveled his rifle, and VIII,
~ they nad come TO within two hundred pac
of the gap, he bawled out to the foremo
,,r among the Apaches:
~ "Hold on thar, We pesky red varmint; y
won't? then here goes" And Old Cyclone
rife belched forth fire and smoke.
Charley, who watched with no little i
terest the effect of the shot, saw the Apac
~ leap into the air and fall back upon {
rocks.
,st A whoop which seemed to make Z
canyon tremble now rose from the Indiar
as and the air shook with the rapid dischar
n of Apache guns.
The bullets whistled like rain about {
ed four men, but they were hard marks TO
yn in their position. !.
ON Charley found his nerves much stead
d, than he had expected after the first wolfe
10 He took aim at the advancing band
wo savages, and pulled the trigger at the saI
moment. Old Zach's rife cracked, VIII
ed on the other side of the plateau, wht
al Old Cyclone and Bill Murphy lay, aperf'
on fusillade was kept up oil the time.
They're falln," cried old Zach.
N. "Gin il 10 en-" roared Cyclone, WI
,re having emptied his own rife, seized